Rob Sonic Sabotage Gigante

Another smart-ass triple-threat (rapping, producing, not sucking) from Def Jux, another slam-dunk for independent-minded hip-hop. Rob Sonic’s troubled-teen back-story puts him in good company with that label’s standouts like Aesop Rock and Cage, but his sneering, shotgun delivery hits harder, especially on the knockout “Brand New Vandals” and “Ready Aim Shoot.” And like the incredible El-P, Rob Sonic’s War-on-Terrorized lyricism is much needed, especially on tracks like “A Cold Cold War (I Loathed the 80s)” and “Rock the Convoy.” If we had more hip-hop heads like him, the cultural crossover wouldn’t suck so much ass. It would suck brains, right through the ears.